Stand-off insulator



Sept. 7, 1954 J. GROSS STAND-OFF INSULATOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 22. 1953 K E m6 s ATTORNEYS P 7, 1954 J. GROSS STAND-OFF INSULATOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 22. 1953 F/EI. 9.

lNVENTOR ()ZRQME 6R0 ATTORNEYS Patented Sept. 7, 1 954 UNITED STATES PATENT OF F I CE 2,688,655 STANDI-O'FF INSULATOK Jerome Gross, New Yo'rk,'N'. Y. Application Juzi'e22, 1953', SerialNo. 363,258

Glaiins:

This invention relates to'sta'nd-off insulators, especially for transmission line or lead-in cable fortelevision receiversj Transmission line or cable is' commonly used as a'lead-in from a television antenna above a building to a receiver within the building. It is customary to support the cable at spaced intervals,and at bends, etc., by means of stand 'ofi insulators. In one common form such'an'insulator' comprises a' screw or post with a'" circular eyelet holding an insulation grommet, which in turnhol'ds' the'cable. 7 v

The primary obj ect of the present invention is to" generally improve stand off insulators. A more particular" object is to provide a' stand oif insulator; in which the cable" supported and surrounded solely by insulation, and is located outside the metal su port. The metal stand may include'a loop o'r'collar' portion which receives and holds the inslua'tio'n', but the cabl'e'itself' does not passjthrough the collar portion, and is not encircled by'metal as is the" case with the devices now in use. I I I An additional and morespecifidobje'ct of'the invention is to provide such "a 'sta'nd orf insulator which maybe" applied to the cable at any dcsired point along its length, and without re'quir ing threading ofthe cable' through 'thefinsulatori Another object is to fprovide'an insummr' which grips thecable" frictionally, and so tends tohold it against} longitudinal movement through the insulator? sun anotherobject" isto *provide an insulator; the cable-holding or insulation pore tidn of which maybe readily-assembled with the" stand or metal portion, and which after assem'bly is-gripped so firmlybythe st'and asnotto require crimping orclosing of the metal aboutfthe insu lemon.- N everthel'ess', the meta'lmay be crimpedif -desired, and this -may be done by using an ordinarypair of pliers and without requiring-a" Still another object of the special crimping tool. invention is to so design the insulator as toreceive one or another" of several types of con-- vention'alcable. v p

To accomplish the foi'eg'oing general object-sian'd'other more specific objects 'which 'will" here inafter' appearjmy invention resides in the stand off insul'ator elements, and 'theiifrelation one to another, as are hereinafter more particm larly described in the renewing specification? The specification is accompanied by'drawing's, in"

which? later embodyinfg features fof niyfinventionj- Fig. 2 Q is a front eIevaEiOn bf-the same a post' 12' and a'collar' Fig. 3 is a sectiontaken approximately in the plane' of the line; 343/ of Fig. 1;

Fig; 4*is' explanatory of how the insulator is applied to'the cable; I

I Fig; 5 showshow the insulation holder is applied to the metal stand;

Fig. (ishows a stand in which the free end of thefpost ispro'vided with a wood screw thread;

Fig; '7 is a side elevation of a modified form of the invention; v

Fig. 8"is a'front' elevation'o'f the same;

Fig; 9isa'section taken approximately in the plane of the line 9-9,of" Fig. 7;

Fig. lOis' a front elevation of a modified insulation holder used in the stand-off insulator ofFigs 7 -9; p

Fig. ll'show'sa' modified form of'metal stand; and

Fig. 12 is'Taview'similarto Fig. 4, butshowing how the holder isj'applied to ribbon or flat cable.

Refe'ri'ingto'the"drawing, in all forms shown the stand oii insulator comprisesa metal stand Sand an insulation holder HQ Referring more particularly to Figs. 1-4, the stands comprises M which is preferably disposed approximately" perpendicular to the post at its outeif e'n'd. The holder H is somewhat U shape'd', with its closed end l6 notched on the inside, as shown at I8,, to receive a cable 20, here shown as a roundbable'. The legs 22 of theU are dimensioned to 'fit'tightly in the collar best 'O i 3; and the holder H is similarly rectangular in"cros's-se'ction. The legs 22 are preferably notched on the outside, as is best shownat'24 in 4. The insulation is at least somewhat elastic', and it'will be seen that the holder'may be engaged with the collar with a sn p fit, thecollar being received in the notches I24 as'is best shown in Fig. 2.

The holder H is made of asuitable flexible low los's dielectric, preferably polyethylene. It may be described as being a'bloclrfof insulation with ahole 26 (Fig, 4) near one end shaped 'and dimensioned'to frictionally receive the cable.

In the present case it will receive either tubular cable or ribbon cable. The block is slotted, as

shown at 28' (Fig. 4), from the opposite end to phenom 26," so that the cable maybe inserted "in the" block without threading it longitudinally through the block. For this purpose the legs of the holder spread apart, as shown in broken lines in Fig. 4, thus permitting the cable to be pushed sidewardly into the block. At this time the cable is preferably disposed edgewise, as shown in broken lines in Fig. 4, but on reaching the hole 25 it (or the block) is turned 90.

The procedure with flat or ribbon cable is substantially the same, as will be seen from inspection of Fig. 12. The cable 30 is inserted through the slot 28 edgewise, and is then turned 90 on reaching the hole 26, at which time the cable is received in the notches l8.

The holder is then applied to the stand, which ordinarily has already been secured in position. If to be mounted in wood, the free end of the post is preferably provided with a wood screw thread, as shown by the thread 32 on post 34 in Fig. 6. The stand is screwed into position; the holder is placed on the cable; and thereafter the holder is applied to the stand.

In the present form of the invention this is done as shown in Fig. 5, in which it will be seen that one notch 24 of holder H is applied to one end of the rectangular collar M, following which the holder is pivoted about the notch 2 until the opposite side has been forced within the collar 14. For this purpose the corners of the holder are preferably cut away or rounded, as shown at 36. The sides of the block are then squeezed tightly together, as shown in Fig. 2, and it will be understood that this increases the frictional grip of the holder on the cable.

If desired the holder may be provided with additional apertures, as shown at 38 and 40 in Fig. 4. These increase the yieldability of the insulation material about the cable and within the collar.

I have found that the resulting snap fit between the holder and the collar is so firm and tight that crimping of the metal is unnecessary. However, if the installer wishes to crimp the stand this is readily done with the aid of an ordinary pair of pliers and without requiring a special tool. For this purpose clearance is provided in the collar [4, as shown at 42, thus making it possible to tighten the collar about the holder after the holder has been inserted in position.

In Figs. 1 and 2 the post I2 is shown with a machine screw thread 44. It will be understood that this receives nuts which may be tightened on opposite sides of a metal bracket or the like, as when mounting one or more stand-off insulators along a mast supporting the antenna, or in any other situation in which a machine screw thread is more useful than a wood screw thread. The post may also be formed out of steel and shaped like a cut nail suitable for driving into cement or mortar.

Figs. '7, 8 and 9 show a modified form of the stand-off insulator. The metal stand S is modified in that the collar 50 is formed separately from the post 52, following which the two are secured together by a welding operation performed at the point 54. In such case the gap or opening in the collar 58 may be formed at the opposite side, as shown at 56 in Fig. 9. The post 52 has been shown with a machine screw thread, but it will be understood that it may equally well be provided with a wood screw thread, or formed like a nail.

The holder H in Figs. '7 through 10 differs from that previously described in being designed to be simply pushed lengthwise into the collar,

4. instead of being rotated into the collar. The configuration is best shown in Fig. 10, in which it will be seen that the legs 69 have been cut away or narrowed somewhat on their outer sides, and have been tapered at their free ends, as shown at 62. The notches 64 are provided as before. It will be evident that with this construction it is merely necessary to squeeze the legs 60 together while pushing the same forcibly through the collar 50, until the notches reach the collar, at which time the holder is solidly anchored in position. Here again the collar may be crimped or closed slightly further by using a pair of pliers.

It will be understood that the holder of Figs. 7-10 may be used with the one-piece bent wire stand of Figs. 1-6, and similarly that the holder of Figs. l-5 may be used with a two-piece Welded stand shown in Figs. 7-10.

It will be understood that additional apertures such as those shown at 38 and 40 in Figs. 2, 4 and 5 may be formed in the insulation holder of Figs. 7-10, thereby saving someinsulation and increasing the yieldability of the material.

The one-piece bent wire stand may be formed differently than shown in Figs. 1-6, and a modification is shown in Fig. 11, in which it will be seen that the post it is turned away from the rectangular collar 12 at one corner of the collar, instead of at the center of one side as in Fig. 2.

It is believed that the construction and method of use of my improved stand-off insulator, as well as the advantages thereof, will be apparent from the foregoing detailed description. The transmission line'or cable is not encircled by metal. This reduces coupling absorption and minimizes disturbance of the wave carried on the transmission line. Poor supporting insulators will tend to upset the electrical characteristics of the line. Insulators which encircle the cable with metal tend to produce standing waves, and any increase in the standing wave ratio causes a loss in efficiency.

The wire and the holder may be brought together without requiring threading of the cable through the holder. The holder grips the cable frictionally, and the stand grips the holder tightly. The holder will take care of a number of difierent forms of cable. The post of the stand may be made with different kinds of thread or with a nail point for various applications. Crimping of the metal about the holder is unnecessary, but may be done if desired, and if done does not require a special tool for the purpose.

It will be understood that while I have shown and described my improved stand-off insulator in several preferred forms, changes may be made in the structures shown without departing from the scope of the invention, as sought to be defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A stand-off insulator for a parallel wire high frequency transmission line, said insulator comprising a split holder made of a somewhat yieldable insulation, and a metal stand on which said holder is mounted, said stand including a post and a collar carried by said post, and said holder havin an outer end which is remote from the collar and an inner end which is to be held by the collar, the walls defining the slit being notched at a point spaced from the inner end of the holder to receive the line without threadin the line endwise through the holder, and said holder at its inner end having legs shaped and dimens ne o mat wi h; he; co rs. l ast ne ,1 sa d'lees be n no ch d n the. o tside near-the n o th er-to. en e theco la rwith a ne fit i h he. 1 1. e ei n porti n located outsidethe; collar, whereby theline: issurroundfid solely by insulation and is; located outside of: and spaced from the metal stand.

2 A stand oif: insulator for lead-in cable for television receioers, said insulator comprising a metal stand having a post and. a collar carried by said post and disposed in a plane, approximately perpendicula-rto the post at; one end of the post, and'a holder-which is-mounted onsaidpost and -whichhas an outer end;which1is remote; from the-oollan and an; inner end which is tobe held by the collar, said holder being longitudinally split and made of a suitable flexible low loss dielectric, the walls defining the slit being notched at a point spaced from the inner end to frictionally receive the cable, the split of said holder making it possible to receive the cable without threading the cab-1e endwise through the holder, said holder at its inner end having legs shaped and dimensioned to so mate with the collar as to press the legs toward one another, at least one of the outer edges of the holder near the inner end of the holder being notched to engage the collar with a snap fit with the cable receiving portion located outside the collar, whereby the cable is surrounded solely by insulation and is located outside of and spaced from the metal stand.

3. A stand-oil insulator for a parallel wire high frequency transmission line, said insulator comprising a metal stand including a post and a collar carried by said post and disposed in a plane approximately perpendicular to the post at one end of the post, and a holder which is mounted on said stand and which has an outer end which is remote from the collar and an inner end which is held by the collar, said holder being a piece of a suitable flexible low loss dielectric, said holder having a. hole well spaced from the inner end and shaped and dimensioned to frictionally receive the line, said holder being slotted from the inner end to said hole so that the line may be inserted in the holder without threading the same endwise through the holder, and the slotted end of the holder being shaped and dimensioned to mate with the collar, at least one of the outer edges of said holder near its inner end being notched to engage the collar with a snap fit, with the line receiving portion located outside the collar, whereby the line is surrounded solely by insulation and is located outside of and spaced from the metal stand.

4. A stand-01f insulator for a parallel wire high frequency transmission line, said insulator comprising a metal stand and a holder made of a somewhat yieldable insulation, said stand including a post and a collar carried by said post, and said holder being somewhat U-shaped with the legs at a point spaced from the free ends shaped on the inside to receive said transmission line in the space between the legs without threading the line endwise through the holder, the legs of the holder being shaped and dimensioned near their free ends to so mate with the collar as to compress the legs toward one another and to be held by the collar, while the line receiving portion of the holder is located outside the collar, whereby said line is supported and surrounded solely by insulation, and is located outside of and spaced from said collar.

5. A stand-oil insulator for lead-in cable for televisions receivers, said insulator: comprising; a metakstandand an insulation: holder: made on a somewhat; yieldable insulation, said stand; including: a post; and. a, collar carried by said post and disposed. in a plane t approximately; perpendicular; to, thepost at one-endof the'post, and; said holder being somewhat U-shaped with the; legs at; a point well spaced from their free; ends notched on the inside to receive the cable, and withfthe;v legs of the holder near their free ends shaped and dimensioned to mate with and be held; by the, collar with the legs, compressed to,- ward one another while: the. cable; receiving portion is, located outside the collar, at least one. of said legs being notched; onthe outside to engage the collar tightly with a snap fit, whenithe, holder is arounda cable,

6. A stand-off insulator for a parallel wire high frequency transmission line, said insulator comprising a metal stand and a holder, said stand including a post and a generally rectangular collar carried by said post and disposed in a plane approximately perpendicular to the post at one end of the post, and said holder being made of a somewhat flexible insulation and being somewhat U-shaped with the legs near the closed end notched on the inside to receive the line, and with the legs of the holder near their free ends shaped and dimensioned to fit in and be held by the collar, with the line receiving portion located outside the collar, said legs being notched on the outside to engage the collar with a snap fit when the holder is around a line, whereby said line is supported and surrounded solely by insulation, and is spaced from and located outside the metal collar.

7. A stand-oil insulator for a parallel wire high frequency transmission line, said insulator comprising a metal stand and a holder, said stand including a post and a collar carried by said post, and said holder being made of a somewhat yieldable insulation and being somewhat U-shaped With thelegs at a point well spaced from their free ends shaped on the inside to receive the line, and with the legs of the holder near their free ends shaped and dimensioned to mate with and be held by the collar while the line receiving portion is located outside the collar, whereby said line is supported and surrounded solely by insulation and is located outside the metal collar, one of said legs being shaped to mate with one part of the collar, the other of said legs being notched on the outside to engage the inside of the diametrically opposite part of the collar with a snap fit, said latter leg being rounded on its approach to the notch so that it may be turned into the collar while turning on the mating parts at the first named part of the collar, so that said .first named part of the collar acts as a pivot for the turning movement.

8. A stand-01f insulator for lead-in cable for television receivers, said insulator comprising a metal stand and a holder, said stand including a post and a collar carried by said post disposed ,in a plane approximately perpendicular to the post at one end of the post, and said holder being made of a somewhat yieldable insulation and being somewhat U-shaped with the legs at a point well spaced from their free ends notched on the inside to receive the cable, and with the legs of the holder near their free ends shaped and dimensioned to mate with and be held by the collar with the legs compressed toward one another while the cable receiving portion is located outside the collar, one of said legs being shaped to 7 mate with one part of the collar, the other of said legs being notched on the outside to engage the inside of the diametrically opposite part of the collar with a snap fit, said latter leg being rounded on its approach to the notch so that it may be turned into the collar while turning on the mating parts at the first named part of the collar, so that said first named part of the collar acts as a pivot for the turning movement.

9. A stand-off insulator as defined in claim 4 in which the metal stand consists of a single piece of heavy wire one end of which is bent to form a generally rectangular collar, and the other end of which is bent away from the collar approximately perpendicular to the plane of the collar to form the post.

10. A stand-off insulator as defined in claim 5 8 in which the metal stand consists of a single piece of heavy wire one end of which is bent to form a generally rectangular collar, and the other end of which is bent away from the collar approximately perpendicular to the plane of the collar to form the post.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,212,547 Parent Jan. 16, 1917 1,653,584 Peterson Dec. 20, 1927 1,788,245 Manson Jan. 6, 1931 1,810,950 Earhart June 23, 1931 2,081,832 Morgenstern et al. May 25, 1937 

